Former Principal Pleads Guilty To Stealing From Student Fund

A former principal of a Baltimore City Public charter school has pleaded guilty to stealing from the school's fund for student activities.

The State Prosecutor's Office says William Howard II pleaded guilty to felony theft.

According to investigators the 37-year-old made four online banking transfers from the Coppin Academy High School Activity Fund into his own personal bank accounts. The total of the transferred money was $10-thousand.

The State Prosecutor's Office says that Howard worked for the school from 2005 to 2008. He then went to work as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Services at St. Mary's College in the fall of 2008. The state got a tip about the theft last August.

Investigators say between April and November of 2011, Dr. Howard stole the money from the Coppin Academy student account.

Court records show that Howard told state investigators that there must have been a mix up in the online banking transactions. He also told investigators that he and his father have the same name and he asked his father to borrow money from his accounts.

Dr. Howard admitted to the investigators that he may have bought himself a "graduation gift" in May of 2011 and he used the other money for his wedding expenses, according to court documents.

A Baltimore City judge sentenced Howard to probation before judgement. He was given four years probation and ordered to pay back more than $10-thousand which the State Prosecutor's Office says he did at sentencing.